


Jack's Appeal

by Into_The_Mystic



Category: Stargate SG-1
Genre: Episode: s08e07 Affinity, F/M, Friendship, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-26
Updated: 2020-06-26
Packaged: 2021-03-03 19:21:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 3,293
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24920743
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Into_The_Mystic/pseuds/Into_The_Mystic
Summary: After Sam shows Jack the engagement ring in her lab, Jack makes a final appeal. Affinity fix-it
Relationships: Jack O'Neill/Daniel Jackson friendship, Samantha "Sam" Carter/Jack O'Neill
Comments: 38
Kudos: 98





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Just having a little fun with this one. Hope you like it.

Daniel poked his head in, “Hey Sam, have you seen Jack?”

Sam glanced up from her lab table, looking a bit out of it. “Umm, yeah Daniel, he just left.”

His eyebrows scrunched together, sensing something amiss, “You okay?”

She gave a small smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes and nodded.

Frowning, he thought for a moment about digging deeper, but she’d already gone back to typing. “Okay, well, if you wanna talk…”

Throwing out a dismissive thanks, she flashed another small smile before he headed back out. 

Of course Jack was in the last place Daniel checked, the General’s office. In the past, Jack seemed to be in Daniel’s office or Sam’s lab so much, he'd almost forgotten he even had an office. But now that his friend was in charge of the base, Daniel realized half-heartedly, it was one of the many changes he would have to get used to. 

The door was closed and he lifted his hand to knock, fully ready for a negative response since it was usually kept open. If he had gone by way of the briefing room, he could’ve just looked through the glass chart he thought absentmindedly. Oh well, he mused, calling topside to check with the guards would be his next move.

But as his knuckles began to make contact, he heard a long bang.

Concern overrode his politeness and he turned the knob, “Jack?”

When the door opened, he saw Jack sitting at his desk with his head in his hands, his fingers gripping his hair. Not a good sign.

Jack growled, not bothering to look up. “Get out Daniel.”

Daniel’s eyes widened as he noticed the metal file holder that usually sat on the desk, now lying on the ground; the folders and papers scattered all around. “What’s going on Jack?” he asked warily.

“Daniel, I said get out!” Jack roared, slamming his fists on the desk as he stood…his voice quivering and expression deadly.

Anyone else would’ve been gone in an instant. Walter probably would’ve pissed himself. But this wasn’t Daniel’s first rodeo. Instead, he stood his ground and closed the door behind him. “Jack, I’m not going anywhere until you tell me what’s going on.”

“Goddamn it!” Jack thumped the desk again with his fists and dropped back into his chair, raking his fingers roughly through his hair. 

Daniel waited. He was good at waiting when it mattered. 

Jack huffed, and then looked at him, jaw clenched. “He gave her a ring.”

Daniel's mind reeled as he filled in the blanks, slowly putting the words together. Her. Ring. Then it clicked. His eyes widened and his jaw dropped, “A ring? Wait, Pete? Pete gave Sam a ring? He asked her to marry him?”

There was a deep rolling growl as Jack nodded angrily. 

“Did she say yes?” Daniel asked worriedly, feeling his heartbeat quicken for his friend as he took some steps forward.

Jack's voice was laced with defeat. “Not yet, but she will.” 

Daniel couldn't help the small sigh of relief that she hadn't committed yet before the confusion set in, “Wait, and she showed it to you? What did she say?”

Jack leaned back, trying to calm down, and lifted his hand dismissively, “Said she was worried about how things would work out, you know, if she had kids.” He glanced up uncomfortably, “I told her that people do it all the time, work here and have families.” 

Daniel waved his hand in a circle impatiently, “Okay…then what?”

“Then she asked if it was fair to put someone else through that; when every time we go through the gate, we don’t know whether we’ll make it back or not.” 

“And…you said?”

Jack sat up and threw his arms up in frustration, “What the hell could I say Daniel?!”

Eyebrows furrowed, Daniel stared him down, folding his arms across his chest as he waited for the real answer.

Jack groaned and put his head in his hands. “That him being a cop, he could probably handle it.” 

Daniel's arms flew in the air incredulously. “Jack, are you kidding me? You vouched for the guy?! What were you thinking?!”

“I just, I don’t know…. I panicked!”

“Did she say anything else?”

Jack sighed, “She asked about me, if things were… different…”

Daniel shook his head slowly, “Oh no.” He paused, running a hand through his hair nervously, “You know I’m _actually_ scared to hear what you said to her….”

Jack stared at him blankly and Daniel threw his hands up.

“What Jack?! What did you say!?

“That I...uh wouldn’t be here…” Jack mumbled quietly as he glanced down at his clasped hands.

Daniel's eyes narrowed and he canted his head. Closing the distance to the desk, he braced his hands on the edge and leaned forward. “That you… _what_?”

Jack let out a frustrated sigh, “That I wouldn’t be here,” he said louder.

Daniel eyes widened as he grabbed his head, “What the _fuck_ does that even mean?!”


	2. Chapter 2

Jack stood up and started pacing, “I don’t know Daniel! I just meant then I wouldn’t be here at the SGC and then maybe…. we could’ve had a life together or something, like one of those alternate realities.”

Daniel matched the pace on the other side of the room, “Well that would’ve sounded a hell of a lot better Jack, why didn’t you just say that? Then you wouldn’t have sounded like a complete idiot.”

“Come on Daniel, give me a break will ya?”

Daniel stopped to face him. “No Jack, she was putting herself out there. Throwing you a lifeline and you cut it in half like it meant nothing to you. Like _she_ meant nothing to you.”

Jack braced himself against the closed door to the briefing room and groaned, “Oh God. What did I do?”

Exhaling a deep breath, Daniel raised a hand supportively. “Jack, it’s not too late. You can fix this.”

Jack faced him, frustration mounting as his shook his head and spread his arms. “And do what Daniel? What the hell could I say? What?!”

Daniel gestured toward Jack angrily, the veins popping out of his neck, “How about you take your head out of your ass and tell her how you actually feel for a change!”

Jack’s jaw clenched and eyes narrowed as he stepped onto some of the scattered papers between them, and pointed at Daniel's chest. “Hey, watch it!”

“No Jack, seriously, how long are you going to let this go on? Everyone already knows how you feel about her, I know, Teal’c knows, every person on this base knows, hell millions of aliens on other planets know. Everyone except her!”

Jack gestured, “What do you expect me to do Daniel? Confess my undying love to her and then tell her there’s nothing we can do about it?”

Daniel took a breath to calm down, “Jack, I’m not saying you should get down on one knee here. I’ll I'm saying is that you should tell her how you feel, then let _her_ decide what she wants to do. I know it’s risky, and it’s hard, but Goddamn it Jack, she deserves to know the truth before she just settles for Pete.”

“And after I tell her how I feel, then what? I don’t want to guilt her into anything.” Jack’s face pinched painfully. “She deserves more Daniel. She deserves to come home to someone every night. Deserves to have someone worship the ground she walks on. Damn it Daniel, she deserves to be happy.” He looked down at his hands fidgeting in front of him, “And as much as I hate to admit it, the cop checks those boxes. I mean, he made her hum.” 

“He made her what?”

Jack looked up and waved him off in frustration, “Oh never mind, the point is, she deserves better.”

“Jack stop being an ass. You’re forgetting the fact that she reached out to you when she showed you the ring. She reached out to tell you that you’re the reason why she’s having second thoughts. You’re the reason why she hasn’t said yes yet.”

“She didn’t say that.”

Daniel gestured wildly, “Oh my God. Jack, she couldn’t! For the same reason why you said something that made absolutely no sense to her instead of telling her how you really feel!” 

He walked up to Jack and grabbed him by the shoulders, “Here Jack, let me clarify things for you. She loves you. She’s loved you for a very long time now, and she needs a sign from you to let her know that you feel the same way.” 

Jack eyes lightened as he flashed a lopsided smile. “You think she loves me?”

Daniel grinned, “Yes Jack, I know she does. And you love her, right?”

Jack nodded.

Daniel spread his arms out wide, “Good, great, see…that wasn’t so hard!” He patted Jack’s shoulders and pulled away, “Now, should I go get her or...?”

Shaking his head, Jack nodded towards the plotting window. “Camera wise that would be a good idea but that damn window. I should really talk to Walter about curtains,” he grumbled. 

“And Sam’s lab?”

“Wired for sound, both audio and video.”

Daniel went through the options. “Well anywhere else here is out and who knows if Pete will be at her place after work. What about your place?”

Jack shook his head. “Too risky…and too damn tempting.”

Smirking, Daniel caught movement through the plotting window, and spotted Siler walking by in the briefing room. “Does Siler know how to turn off the cameras?”

Shoving his hands in his pockets, Jack shrugged. “Sure, probably. But he would have to have a reason.”

Daniel’s eyebrows rose questioningly. “Maintenance?”

Jack smirked. “Might work.”

Clapping his hands together, Daniel smiled excitedly. "Alright, let me talk to him and then we’ll head over. Meanwhile, you start thinking about what you’re going to say.”

His stomach clenching nervously, Jack nodded as Daniel walked towards the door. “Hey, thanks Daniel.”

Daniel smiled as he turned the knob and stepped through. “I’m doing this for Sam too you know.”


	3. Chapter 3

Sam heard a knock and looked up to see her CO and Daniel standing in the doorway. Jack looked nervous and fidgety, while Daniel grinned. 

“Hey Sir…Daniel.”

Daniel glanced sideways at Jack, “Hey Sam.” He thumbed behind him, “I’ll just… be out here.” Daniel clapped Jack on the shoulder and gave him a little shove to get him past the threshold before closing the door behind him.

Sam’s eyes widened, as she looked at her CO questioningly, “Sir?”

“Carter,” he answered quickly, shoving his hands into his pockets. 

Turning away from her laptop, she gave him her undivided attention. “Is everything okay sir?”

He shifted back and forth on his feet, “No…. I mean yes, everything’s okay…. it’s just…we need to talk.”

Sam's eyes flicked up to the camera, and Jack waved a hand dismissively, “It’s off, Siler’s doing some maintenance.”

Her mouth twitched, “Maintenance sir?”

“Yeah," a corner of his mouth curved up, "those pesky little things can be a real pain in the ass.”

Sam smiled knowingly and waited...getting more and more anxious by the minute as she watched him shuffle his feet.

He rubbed his hands together nervously, glancing at her and then looked down. “Sam, I’ve been trying to think of what to say, but I don’t know where to start.”

Her stomach clenched at the use of her name, realizing how serious this was. Heart racing, she swallowed hard around the lump in her throat before she found her voice again. “Why don’t you just start with the first thing that comes to your mind?” she said slowly.

Jack looked up and locked eyes with her. “Don’t marry him.” 

Sam’s eyes widened and she shifted in her seat as her eyes darted around the room for a moment before she met his gaze. “Uh, okay.” Silence followed until she couldn’t stand it any longer, “Maybe you should tell me why…I shouldn’t marry him?”

Jack exhaled a pent-up breath and stepped forward to the edge of her desk. He looked down and shook his head slowly, “I know I have no right…” 

She waited on baited breath as he picked up her pen and fiddled with it. When he glanced up, he realized she was waiting for him to continue.

His voice was soft, filled with regret. “I can’t be there for you like he can…. not right now.”

Sam felt like a cloud had lifted as her eyes widened. “Not right now?” She stuttered, “I..I mean I know you can’t….we can’t right now. But you’re saying maybe… someday?” She didn’t mean to sound so hopeful, but she couldn’t help herself.

Jack leaned over the corner of the desk and abandoned the pen to graze his thumb over her hand, “I know it’s not fair to ask you to wait. You deserve more.”

Her stomach fluttered. “But I would... wait…for you. I just didn’t know if you felt the same way.”

Taking her hand, he tugged her gently to her feet as he rounded the corner…now standing toe to toe.

Sam’s heart was pounding as his other hand reached out, caressing her neck gently. He looked into her eyes, his voice steady and sure, “If you mean to ask me if I love you, the answer is yes.”

The moment of elation was short-lived as she thought of how he’d had to watch her with Pete all of this time. Her eyes welled up, “Oh God Jack I’m sorry. I…”

Jack shook his head quickly, grazing her bottom lip with his thumb comfortingly. “No, it’s my fault. I should have told you a long time ago.” He gave her a sad smile. “I didn’t want to get in the way of your happiness. You deserve the world Sam.”


	4. Chapter 4

She closed her eyes and leaned into his touch, savoring the feeling of his strong callused hand against her skin; his long graceful fingers resting on her cheek.

Jack leaned in and replaced his thumb with his lips, brushing them against hers.

Sam opened her eyes as he pulled away, and quickly leaned up to capture his lips again, marveling at how soft his lips were as they glided effortlessly over hers...and how the kiss was so reminiscent of a hallucination she once had. She felt a small moan from him vibrate her lips and a warm coiling ache building inside of her as they finally pulled away; their breathing erratic from the excitement.

Jack’s eyebrows rose as he smiled and straightened, his voice low and wistful. “Wow. I wish I could do that all day…. every day.”

She smiled back shyly, running her hand down the side of his cheek and neck, resting it against his chest. “One day?”

He put his hand firmly over hers and nodded. “One day soon I hope.” Sighing, he looked down between them, recognizing how hard it would be to pull them back to where they'd been before the kiss. 

Sam nodded, exhaling her own disappointment, “Until then, I guess this stays in the room?”

Jack smirked, “Yeah, so I’m not really liking rooms anymore. Promise me we’ll eventually do away with all the rooms, and walls for that matter… I’m thinking an open floor plan concept here.” he said sarcastically, trying to lighten the mood.

She gave a small laugh before sobering. Fighting the urge to go again, their hands dropped away reluctantly. He took a few steps back and shoved his hands in his pockets before they could deceive him. Then they stood there, staring at each other in silence. Both of them taking the opportunity to really look at one another, unabashedly, with no fear of repercussions. 

Sam's face flushed as his eyes glinted and narrowed while they swept over her body slowly from head to toe; she could have sworn she heard a low hungry 'mmm' sound coming from him. When his eyes reached back to hers, his seductive smile reminded her of the way he had looked at her after the time loop. This time, he didn’t look away. 

Feeling emboldened by his gaze, she let her eyes wander down his torso, drinking in his shoulders, tight chest and arms. Her eyes drifted back up to his neck, his chin, his lips…just then realizing he was sporting a lop-sided grin. When her eyes met his, he raised an eyebrow and winked at her.

Her stomach fluttered as she pulled her bottom lip between her teeth and looked down bashfully. 

“Damn,” he huffed out suddenly, closing the distance to her with two long strides. He wrapped an arm around her lower back, and she gasped as he pulled her to him. His finger came up for moment before he placed the other hand against the side of her neck and leaned in, “Just…one more…” he breathed softly against her lips before he captured them fervently. 

His tongue slipped expertly through her parted lips and swept over hers, tugging a breathy moan from her throat as she drifted her fingernails through the short grey hairs at the nape of his neck. When she dragged her tongue possessively across his bottom lip, and pulled it into her mouth with a hum, Jack felt himself losing control. With a frustrated groan he pulled away and stepped back. “Shit.” 

Pleasantly dazed, Sam leaned on the edge of the desk for support when he let go, licking her lips absentmindedly…already missing his taste.

Her eyes drifted down at him as he walked backwards, noticing he was as turned on as she was. 

When her eyes met his, he saw her lusty look and watched her shift her thighs together, making him groan again. He didn’t realize he was still moving until his back made contact with one of her servers lining the wall, startling him. 

He rocked himself off the console, playing off the embarrassment with a smirk and cleared his throat, “So…umm…” Jack exhaled heavily and sidestepped towards the door, “I guess I should get going, before…you know…I do something stupid.”

Sam ran a hand through her hair and gave him small smile, “Um, if you don’t mind Sir, I’ll have to take a bit of personal time today, to take care of some things.”

The corners of Jack’s mouth turned upwards before he had a chance to school his features, “Not at all Carter, take all the time you need.” He thumbed towards the door, “I uh, should probably check on Siler anyway and see how things are going.”

Sam giggled, “Yes sir.”

When Jack turned and opened the door, Daniel practically fell inside the room, grabbing Jack’s shirt to catch himself. “Oh, hey,” he said sheepishly, pushing his glasses back up on his face as he straightened up.

Jack smirked, shaking his head as he pushed him back into the hallway. “Come on Daniel." 

Daniel looked up at Sam, smiled and waved over Jack's shoulder as he closed the door behind them, “Bye Sam!” 

As soon as the door clicked shut, Sam laughed and couldn’t stop smiling. Thoughtfully, she grazed her fingertips lightly against her bottom lip as she sighed. Oh yes, she would wait for him…for as long as it took.

As soon as the door closed, Daniel prodded with a low whisper. "Jack, what happened?"

Jack heard something and shushed him, "Wait...listen." He leaned in and pressed his ear to the door.

Daniel followed suit next to him, straining to hear. "What?"

Jack's face lit up with a big cheesy grin as he straightened and clapped a hand on Daniel's shoulder. "She's humming..." 

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! Let me know what you thought.


End file.
